Editoral: Obama faces tough decision on helicopters

In the very near future, President Barack Obama will make a decision that will either propel his already glowing star higher, or send his administration plummeting.

The president will soon have to decide whether or not the U.S. should continue a six-year-old project to build state-of-the-art presidential helicopters. At $400 million apiece, the Marine One helicopters, slated for a 2010 delivery, are very expensive.

The program is currently bogged down in a contracting quagmire because the original $6.1 billion contract has ballooned to $11.2 billion. The Pentagon notified Congress that it was so far over budget that the law required a review.

The decision to continue or halt the program will definitely challenge Obama's mettle as well as his desire to rein in military contracting expenses.

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With America's economy heading down the tubes, maybe now isn't the time to spend more than $11 billion on 28 helicopters.

On the positive side, the new copters will provide the president with a flying Oval Office and give him more protection -- even from nuclear attacks -- than any previous Marine One helicopters.

During his campaign, Obama vowed to reform the nation's defense procurement if he was elected president. But neither Obama nor his opponent, John McCain, was willing to take a firm stand against the skyrocketing cost of the new Marine One helicopter.

How the cost of the project doubled so quickly is a "scandal" that many people feel should be exposed. But that's for another discussion at another time.

In Obama's defense, the program was started during President George W. Bush's administration.

According to a published report, the program has its roots in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. After the attacks, President Bush flew on Air Force One, a customized Boeing 747, from Florida to military bases in Louisiana and Nebraska before returning to Washington, D.C.

The chaos of that fateful day underscored the need for secure communications and the commander in chief's ability to remain in contact at all times.

Some of the existing fleet of 19 Marine One copters are more than 30 years old. The new helicopters are equipped to deflect missile attacks and are capable of waging war from the air. They can fly farther, faster and more safely than the current craft, but each improvement pushes up the cost.

The main question is, does the president need such a large -- and expensive -- fleet of helicopters? Especially since the majority of his trips on Marine One are 10-minute rides to Andrews Air Force Base, where Air Force One resides.

That's a question the president will probably have to answer soon.In the very near future, President Barack Obama will make a decision that will either propel his already glowing star higher, or send his administration plummeting.

The president will soon have to decide whether or not the U.S. should continue a six-year-old project to build state-of-the-art presidential helicopters. At $400 million apiece, the Marine One helicopters, slated for a 2010 delivery, are very expensive.

The program is currently bogged down in a contracting quagmire because the original $6.1 billion contract has ballooned to $11.2 billion. The Pentagon notified Congress that it was so far over budget that the law required a review.

The decision to continue or halt the program will definitely challenge Obama's mettle as well as his desire to rein in military contracting expenses.

With America's economy heading down the tubes, maybe now isn't the time to spend more than $11 billion on 28 helicopters.

On the positive side, the new copters will provide the president with a flying Oval Office and give him more protection -- even from nuclear attacks -- than any previous Marine One helicopters.

During his campaign, Obama vowed to reform the nation's defense procurement if he was elected president. But neither Obama nor his opponent, John McCain, was willing to take a firm stand against the skyrocketing cost of the new Marine One helicopter.

How the cost of the project doubled so quickly is a "scandal" that many people feel should be exposed. But that's for another discussion at another time.

In Obama's defense, the program was started during President George W. Bush's administration.

According to a published report, the program has its roots in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. After the attacks, President Bush flew on Air Force One, a customized Boeing 747, from Florida to military bases in Louisiana and Nebraska before returning to Washington, D.C.

The chaos of that fateful day underscored the need for secure communications and the commander in chief's ability to remain in contact at all times.

Some of the existing fleet of 19 Marine One copters are more than 30 years old. The new helicopters are equipped to deflect missile attacks and are capable of waging war from the air. They can fly farther, faster and more safely than the current craft, but each improvement pushes up the cost.

The main question is, does the president need such a large -- and expensive -- fleet of helicopters? Especially since the majority of his trips on Marine One are 10-minute rides to Andrews Air Force Base, where Air Force One resides.